A man’s alleged attempt to drown his own daughter-in-law at a pool in Davenport, Florida, was thwarted after his 9-year-old granddaughter stepped in.
But Mark Raymond Gibbon, 62, didn’t fully stop until witnesses said they had called the police on him, according to a news release from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies arrested Gibbon that afternoon, and he was later charged with attempted second-degree murder and battery.
On Aug. 3, witnesses reported a disturbance in a backyard swimming pool at the Solterra Resort — where Gibbon and his family were vacationing from England, according to Law & Crime.
Gibbon was reportedly arguing with his 33-year-old daughter-in-law about the “stipulations of his will” when things took an ugly turn, according to a probable cause arrest affidavit.
Gibbon allegedly held his daughter-in-law underwater multiple times.
“She advised that she could not breathe and believed that she was going to drown,” the affidavit reportedly read. “[The victim] advised that she had to fight Mark in order to get away from him and from under the water but he kept pushing her back under.”
English vacationer arrested for attempted murder in Davenport
An argument about grandchildren ended with a vacationer from the United Kingdom getting arrested and charged with attempted murder.
“It’s great that Polk County draws visitors from all across the world, but we expect… pic.twitter.com/xKCqKGn36e
— Polk County Sheriff 🚔 Grady Judd (@PolkCoSheriff) August 4, 2025
Gibbon’s 9-year-old granddaughter then jumped into the pool, trying to stop Gibbon from drowning her mother.
He pushed her away, but two sisters in the backyard next door said they had called the sheriff, which stopped Gibbon in his tracks.
“It’s great that Polk County draws visitors from all across the world, but we expect vacationers to behave while they visit with us, just as we expect our lifelong residents to do the same,” Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said in a statement.
“Because Mr. Gibbon couldn’t control his anger, he may find himself spending a lot more time in Florida than he had anticipated,” Judd said.
Tourist from UK charged with trying to kill daughter-in-law in pool, FL cops say https://t.co/uFlvhuGJYD
— Miami Herald (@MiamiHerald) August 5, 2025
Gibbon later admitted to deputies what he had done, but said he wasn’t intending to drown his daughter-in-law.
He also said they had been drinking and that she had slapped him first, according to Law & Crime.
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